Deliberative democracy index vdem in South Africa
South Africa: Deliberative democracy index vdem was 0.651 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.651
Change on year
up 0.6%
Rank
35th
of 175 groups
All-time high
0.679
in 2008
All-time low
0.118
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Deliberative democracy index vdem in South Africa, 1900–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, deliberative democracy index vdem in South Africa stood at 0.651.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, deliberative democracy index vdem in South Africa peaked at 0.679 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.118, in 1900.
That places South Africa 35th out of 175 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.118 | 0.118 | 0.118 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.1642 | 0.141 | 0.169 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.169 | 0.169 | 0.169 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.1714 | 0.168 | 0.172 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.1651 | 0.137 | 0.172 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.1364 | 0.136 | 0.137 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.1296 | 0.128 | 0.136 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1285 | 0.127 | 0.129 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.14 | 0.133 | 0.155 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.4364 | 0.231 | 0.616 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6631 | 0.645 | 0.679 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6448 | 0.626 | 0.675 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6345 | 0.612 | 0.651 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More social development data for South Africa
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 55,177 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 1,319 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh 2 (2025)
- Democracy lexical 1 (2025)
- Human rights index vs electoral democracy index 0.857 (2025)
- Liberal democracy index 0.633 (2025)
- Electoral democracy index 0.743 (2025)
- Freedom of association index 0.87 (2025)
- Freedom of expression index 0.837 (2025)
- Participatory democracy index 0.47 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is deliberative democracy index vdem in South Africa?
- Deliberative democracy index vdem in South Africa was 0.651 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest deliberative democracy index vdem recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.679 in 2008.
- What is the lowest deliberative democracy index vdem recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.118 in 1900.
- How does South Africa rank for deliberative democracy index vdem?
- South Africa ranks 35th out of 175 groups with data for 2025.
- Is deliberative democracy index vdem rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Deliberative democracy index vdem. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).